By Chris Granozio
EVANSVILLE, IND – For the third straight year – and nine of the past 10 – it was one-and-done for the East Region champion at the Elite-8 as first-time participant New Haven lost to perennial power, #5 West Liberty (WV) at the Ford Center in Evansville in a game that was essentially over after the second media timeout. An intriguing match-up on paper, the two sides featured the starkest difference in styles, though it was the Hilltoppers’ vaunted offense and pressure “d” that outshined the Chargers’ tempo-control and stingy defense in capturing their 17th straight triumph and reaching their fifth national semifinal game. Seeded seventh in the national quarterfinals, the Chargers (23-11) trailed the entire afternoon, surrendering 24 of the game’s first 28 points, mustering just two baskets over the initial 10:54 and falling into a 32-8 hole before the two teams split the last 26 points of the first half. A 45-21 game at intermission, New Haven trimmed its deficit to 56-37 on a Tyrone Perry hoop with 14:06 left. But that would be as close as his team would get as the Toppers’ shooters filled it up, setting up their relentless pressure, which suffocated the Chargers on inbounds passes, hounded them in the backcourt and forced them to speed up their deliberate, half-court offense. They induced 26 turnovers and parlayed them into 32 points (WLU only coughed it up 10 times for just as many points). The margin mushroomed to 40 twice in the waning moments before a Justin Hendrick 3-pointer closed out the scoring at 95-58 – the most lopsided result in an Elite-8 contest since Jacksonville State (FL) blasted Kentucky Wesleyan, 107-70 in a 1989 national quarterfinal.
The two teams’ shooting percentages were similar (WLU 51%, UNH 47%), as were the rebound numbers (UNH 32, WLU 31), but West Lib put on a fireworks display from beyond the arc (16-36 compared to UNH’s 4-14), the 16 makes tying for second-most ever in an Elite-8 contest (the second time the program had achieved the feat, in fact), last done by St. Anselm vs. Nova Southeastern four years ago in a quarterfinal victory. The total was topped only by Troy State’s (GA) 23 vs. Southern New Hampshire in that classic 126-123 national semifinal in 1993 (the first Elite-8 I ever attended, by the way, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield). The Hilltoppers also moved the ball exquisitely, as 28 of their 36 baskets were assisted (UNH dished out 10 on 23 field goals).
Fifth-year quarterback Quashawn Lane – who became the first New Haven player ever to see action in three different NCAA Tournaments – finished with 12 points and six assists, while Kendall McMillan – pressed into a starting role as a result of Victor Olawoye’s season-ending injury during the NE10 Championship Game – also dropped a dozen for a new career high, while Perry contributed all 11 of his points in the second half. 7-1 center Majur Majak – like the other three – closed out his storied career in the Hoosier State with four points, 18 rebounds and the only four blocked shots of the game. His 105 rejections this season were a program record and second most in the nation, while his 408 rebounds were tops in all of D2.
West Liberty (32-3) boasted balanced scoring with 12 of its 13 players delivering at least one field goal, led by backup sophomore guard Zach Rasile (14 points, 4-8 from 3-point range) and Bryce Butler (13). The Hilltoppers ranked second in D2 behind undefeated #1 Nova Southeastern in scoring at 100.1 points a game coming into the game, but New Haven can take a small measure of solace in holding them slightly below their scoring average to knock them down under the century mark (99.97 ppg) as they get set to play third-seeded Black Hills State in tonight’s first semifinal. Nova Southeastern meets Cal State-San Bernadino in the nightcap as the chalk held for the first time since the NCAA began re-seeding at the Elite-8 in 2016.
More History
The 95 points allowed were the most by a New Haven team in a regulation game since a 95-77 loss at Saint Rose on December 21, 2001 (they won a triple-overtime NE10 Tournament semifinal, 101-100 at Stonehill on March 4, 2020), and the 37-point final margin was the program’s worst since a 97-54 setback at Bentley on December 14, 1998. The loss was the worst by an East Region team at this level since Philadelphia Textile’s 101-53 victory over American International in their championship year of 1970 (The now-Jefferson Rams were in the now-Atlantic Region at the time). There is an asterisk, however, as AIC’s regional title that season was vacated by the NCAA, so the only worse loss by an East Region team (then known as the New England Region) that’s officially on the books is St. Michael’s 99-55 defeat at the hands of Kentucky Wesleyan in 1960.
The East Region national championship drought further extends to 35 years since Lowell's title in 1988. And it's now 18 years since one of our teams has reached the championship game (Bryant fell to Virginia Union in 2005).
All that negative history now out of the way, those rough 40 minutes for the Chargers hardly define their historic season as the regional title represents a new gold standard for the program, while the 23 wins are second only to the 1987-88 team, which finished at 26-5. After the dust settles, the players, head coach Ted Hotaling and his staff, as well as everyone associated with the university, can stand proud after having placed their stamp on East Region history, finishing third in all of Division 2 with a .394 field goal percentage defense, 11th with 62.8 points per game allowed and 10th with 28.8 defensive boards per outing. Oh, and there’s also that trophy to display in perpetuity.
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For those who have asked me about my personal checklist this season, here are the final numbers: I watched 117 men’s contests and 37 women’s for a total of 154 live college basketball games. I reached my goals of seeing each of the 35 regional teams both home and road. I also watched each of the teams in the Division 1 NEC and MAAC conferences in person, as well as various other teams across all three divisions. I also managed to work seven Long Island Nets G-League games as their arena audio engineer, when the schedule allowed. Quite luckily, I only encountered snow on three basketball trips all winter (!), and thankfully, it was never heavy.
Well, that’s a wrap on Around the Rim this season. I hope you enjoyed what we brought to the table. There will be one more new feature we at the webiste plan to release sometime next week that we think you'll want to read. Stay tuned for that! And now, the credit roll... special thanks to all the SIDs, ADs and coaches for their assistance, accessibility and camaraderie. You always make my job a lot easier. Thanks again to St. Thomas Aquinas for the best hospitality room spread I saw all year, during the ECC Tournament semis, to St. Anselm for including me on their broadcast team during the regional and to the great folks at the NCAA such as the affable David Lentz and the legendary and perennially-cheeky Roy Pickerill. The event just isn’t the same without you. Thanks also to regional committee chair Mike MacDonald, the Daemen coach, who, along with his committee, knocked it out of the park this season. And lastly, to all you wonderful D2 fans who read these words and make your voices heard, with a special shout-out to our Patreon supporters. You all represent the lifeblood of what we do! And for the last time, here’s your invitation to send comments, questions and suggestions to: chrisgranozio@gmail.com. If you appreciate what we do and wish to make a small contribution (or large, if the spirit should move you), our Patreon information is: https://www.patreon.com/D2easthoops. Until next time, stay safe and Happy Hooping to All!